My 1978 Devon Bay [Project Bertie]

Update; following an epic 600 mile round trip the van came home last night. I'll probably take some more photos over the weekend but we have a new MoT and are legal and after it being stored outside for almost 3 years I'm pleased to report it sat at a steady 70 for most of the way back! Heater is broken so we almost froze to death but a root around in the back this morning rewarded me with some heater pipes and bits and bobs which look like they'll fit back on.. somewhere.

One question I do have - the pop top works fine, there's no bed up there though - can one be added?

 

Right folks, I haven't posted in a while as I've been busy busy working and spending time getting the van sorted so we can actually use it for camping! I thought it was probably time I shared some of my efforts. It is by no means a show winner but it looks ok, runs great and we finally got to take it out on the road last weekend... a note for the purists though, I rent a standard sized garage, no power or water on site so I had to make the decision to do the best with what I got, a full nut and bolt restoration is simply not possible at the moment so I went for a cosmetic restore given the van is sound, has a new MoT and just simply looks a bit tatty.

I didn't quite know where to start but figured the engine lid was a good test of my (limited) skills, so it was stripped, sanded, filled, and prepped..



Then on went the primer and finally the top coat (Rustoleum RAL 3013 out of a rattle can)



I then made a start on sanding back the years of crud and old flat paint, starting with 240 grit wet and dry working down to 600..







Eventually getting some primer on (This is Rustoleum Metal Primer, contains rust reforming chemicals, they also do a rust reformer aerosol which works great at stopping the dreaded tin worm and I highly recommend it, I bought it from Home Base but found it at B&Q 3 quid cheaper)





Then the starter motor went on the blink and I couldn't get it out of the garage, I got a spare one with the van so it was time to get under there and swap them over. You have to do this pretty much blind when you don't have the luxury of a ramp so I took a couple of snaps to see how it was supposed to look



Another difficult choice came when I was ready to get some top coat on the van, I tried a number of spray shops who were all quoting over 3 grand, a friend's contact couldn't do it until later in the year and another contact who works on VWs' and restos couldn't fit it in until September. It was just too shabby (in my mind anyway) to run as it was and anyway it would probably have started to rot as soon as it was exposed to any weather, so it was back on the web to do some research. It was suggested that I use Rustoleum combi color, thinners and a roller which I tried but couldn't get the technique right and ended up with a huge orange peel mess and lots of runs. In the end I just brushed the stuff on, and it's my intention to either a) flat it back when it's fully cured and polish the shine back in, or b) sand it back and get a 'proper' spray job done when they can fit it in later in the year. It certainly needs it, but it's protected from the elements and looks fine for now.

 

Eventually I had everything painted (except the pop roof, need a run of fine days to get this done) So I began bolting everything back on until it went so dark I couldn't see what I was doing...



So there we have it, another one lives to fight another day. There is of course still lots of stuff to do, not least sorting a 'proper' paint job, I also noticed a couple of bits that will need some new metal and me learning some new skills but as I don't have any power at the lock up it's just not possible yet. I'm hopefully moving house within the next year or so and am factoring in a double garage or place where a workshop can be built, this will then allow me to do a much more thorough job and possibly even a nut and bolt strip down. But for now, I think we'll just hit the road and enjoy ourselves a bit..

 

Thanks guys, I just had to do the best with what I'd got really. Broken stuff and everything that needed replacing has been replaced/renewed so I haven't really scrimped but it's just not possible to take it back to base metal where I am at the moment and the lack of power and water threw some real headaches as it was! Ricky, your friend Moons.. should I ask why you mentioned him?

 

Aaah I see Yep, i saw somewhere the other way there was a guy who had had his van in bits for 6 years!! Granted it'll be a minter when it's done and probably worth in excess of 25 big ones but I bought one because I've always fancied one and my little one loves camping, and now absolutely loves the bus - he wants to go everywhere in it, school, swimming pool, shops... I'll doff my cap to any of these guys who go for a full restoration, the 2 months I've spent on mine has been bloody hard work! I know a guy who's been working on his project for the last 35 years and the engine still hasn't turned over, it is a little bit bigger than a VW van though.

 

Hi Carl, they're repro's that the garage supplied, rear panels and sills are a nice fit as is the n/s wheel arch but the drivers' side is a bit wobbly down the inside lip, not too bad but not 100% straight. I'll ask where they got them from and post for you when I know.

 

Hi Carl, the panels were from http://www.alanhschofield.com - I haven't compared them to any other suppliers but they are very good quality and I'd recommend you try them out, if you're not sure give the guys a call and discuss what you need with them. Very helpful and traditional company, highly recommended.

 

So I haven't updated this since June last year? Where did all of that time go! We've been camping quite a bit but not as much as I would have liked, mainly due to a niggly engine problem causing random breakdowns. Eventually I took the van to a local specialist and all it needed was a whopper of a tune up. They said the engine was running on 2 cylinders, the other two were firing but not providing any power and they noticed one side of the engine was really hot while the other side was cool. So they synced the carbs and tuned it up, sorted the throttle linkage, and since then it's been fabulous to drive, more power, smoother running and it even ticks over and doesn't stall and refuse to start when you pull up at a junction...

Otherwise electrically and mechanically I've replaced much of the old wiring, and treated the engine to lots of new parts - I've kept it stock but just replaced old and worn stuff. The winter has stopped work on the exterior and other jobs that need to be done outside so I have turned to updating and fixing interior stuff, and I've included a few photos for those who may be interested.

The MOT is looming so I've booked it in to a local garage on Monday to have some welding sorted, after removing a trim panel I noticed there was some rot around the seat belt mount on the passenger side which will need attention, there is also a gap between the new wheel arch panel (fitted last year) and floor on the drivers side so I'm getting this done at the same time and at a very reasonable cost. As the original belts are a bit shabby I've got new ones to fit to both sides to match the new rear belts I had fitted in the summer.

Still a massive list of things to do but it's coming together, the final job will be to get that paintwork sorted but I can live with it for now. Anyone off to VolksWorld show at the end of March?



Trim panel cleaned and being repaired



Re-trimmed - it looks a bit lumpy in this shot but it's not in real life.



Fitted to van, I used modern plastic trim fixing screw things rather than the pop rivets and it looks pretty neat. I also veltrimmed the section above this panel as the original covering had been removed before I owned the van.



Much better...



And treated the C Pillar to some new trim.



I've fitted this damn thing about a 100 times and it keeps falling off, I've used brand new fitting clips and the plastic washer things that are supposed to keep them in place in the door but they don't work so I'm going to use the same modern trim panel fittings that I used for the rear panel instead. I must get some new floor covering though, that pink lino is nasty! I almost bought a roll of fake grass to put down in there the other day but chickened out at the last minute!



I didn't actually realise this was under the rnr bed for months and months, it was covered with a really crappy red cloth that had been badly stapled on. The speaker sections have been quite well made so I cleaned, repaired and...


re-trimmed, and it looks kinda nice! I'm still not 100% sure that I'll be keeping it but it'll do for now as I have nothing to fill the gap under the bed which is where I stow the table leg and folding chairs! (The hole on the right is where the aux heater air pipe fixes on, I'm using the original at the moment which is a kind of faded fag stained yellow, but I'm going to replace that when I remember to measure it..)

Next up is a couple more panels, one off the tailgate and the front kick panels, then I need to sort this mess out - yes there is a whacking great big hole behind that piece of wood with the dials and radio in it, it isn't fixed and moves around freely while you're clattering along the road - which is a tad annoying. I have a double din Kenwood to go in, hopefully it'll look alright otherwise I'll get the hole welded up and have a rethink. I'm going to mount the clock, temp, and volt gauges under the dash using something like 3 hole under dash gauge mounting bracket but am undecided on the location as yet.



If anyone knows where the sender unit is on a type 4 engine for the temp gauge please post! I've had a look and can't find it, I don't see any wires missing or disconnected from where they should be (I've rewired pretty much everything remember?) I assume the wire has been removed at some point which is why the gauge doesn't read anything.

Catch you next time